Japan’s economic growth did not disappoint in the first two quarters of 2019. Domestic focus is on the BoJ meeting in September and the VAT hike in October. The external environment remains challenging because of slowing global activity and rising tensions with South Korea.

New left-wing government looks set to take office, but talks can still break down. Whichever government comes in, none of them looks capable of breaking with Italy’s unstable political past, let alone effectively deal with its long-standing problems.

The Dutch government is reportedly considering borrowing for an investment fund to support economic growth. This is a shift from the debt-averse political consensus in the Netherlands. It could increase pressure on Germany to do something similar.

Prime Minister Johnson has asked the Queen to suspend Parliament. While it was an explosive move, confrontation between Johnson and Parliament has always been inevitable. The EU has been betting on the UK parliament to intervene, but the window has narrowed. The risk of a no-deal Brexit is obviously rising, but secondary to the risk of a general election.

This report shows that the US is more exposed to disruptions to bilateral intermediate trade flows than China. In addition, also exporters and consumers in third countries such as the Netherlands feel the pinch from a disruption in supply chains between China and the US.

The recent HKIA occupation has already hit Hong Kong’s economy and its global reputation; any repeat would be exponentially more damaging. Yet if such action were to trigger a crackdown from China the potential risks would be far larger than just to Hong Kong’s GDP or its reputation.